Pillow



y 27, 1958 H. T6MAssoN 2,835,905

PILLOW Filed June 8, 1954 Fig. 7

Fig. 2 13, H 4 IL I J1 6 6% Y *1 g 4% I 4 l/msx Tam/9550M ATTOR NE) Unite PILLOW Helgi Tomasson, Reykjavik, Iceland Application June 8, 1954, Serial No. 435,259

Claims priority, application Denmark October 21, 1953 2 Claims. (Cl. -338) The pillows ordinarily used are not made of a shape paying sufficient attention to the anatomical structure of the individual who is to rest his head on them. This applies more particularly to the proportions between head, neck shoulders, the upper part of the back and the upper arms. With the use of the known pillows the human spine is often bent unnaturally so that many muscles are unable to obtain sufiicient relaxation to provide the necessary recreation when resting.

investigations of the position of sleeping individuals on a bed and their movements while sleeping have disclosed that the reason for many movements and disturbances while they are sleeping is a mechanical disproportion, as a result of which the muscles in head, neck and shoulders are unable to obtain sufiicient relaxation. The said mechanical disproportion is according to the investigations I have made chiefly due to a wrong proportion between the head section of the bed support, that is, bolster or pillow and the parts of the body resting thereon.

it is the object of the invention to provide a pillow without the said disproportions and which renders optimum relaxation of the muscles possible during sleep. An essential feature of the pillow according to the invention is that its various parts are of different thicknesses conforming to the parts of the body to be supported.

An essential feature of a preferred embodiment of a pillow according to the invention is that the central part of the lower edge of the pillow has a recess with a directly overlying thickened section conforming to the nape of an individual and the angle between head, neck and shoulders.

Most individuals when lying on their side rest on their flexed arm, and they therefore need something to support their forearm. in order to provide this support the pillow according to the invention may have suitable thickenings on its side, the said thickenings decreasing towards the lower edge of the pillow. hese thickenings may at the same time have sound-absorbing effects.

in a suitable embodiment according to the invention the upper edge of the pillow may be slightly concave. The advantage obtained is firstly that the pillow does not become too hot, and, secondly, that it will conform to the transversal curvature of the spine if used as a support for a sitting person, the lower edge of the pillot resting against the bed support.

An embodiment of a pillow in accordance with the invention will now be described with reference to the drawing, in which- Figure 1 shows a pillow as seen from below, in a section on the line iI of Figure 3,

Figure 2 is a side view of the pillow, in a section on the line li-ii of Figure 3, I

Figure 3 is a top view of the pillow,

Figure 4 is a section on the line lV-IV of Figure 3,

Figure 5 is a section on the line V-V of Figure 3, and

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the pillow shown in Figures 1 to 5.

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The pillow is substantially of rectangular form, viewed from above, and may consist of a case filled with a suitable material such as feathers, down, air, fibres, sponge rubber, etc. The upper edge 1 of the pillow is provided with an inward curve as shown in Figure 3, and its lower edge 2 is provided with a smaller deep recess 3 placed in the middle of the pillow. The said recess extends over the two central fourths of the pillow length.

As will appear from Figure 4, there is a thickened section 4 directly above the recess 3, and above the said hickening there is a smaller depression 5 above which there is again a thickened section 6 somewhat lower than the thickening t. The thickened section 4 extends right out to the sides where it is connected with two lateral raised sections 7 that extend downwards and decrease in height in that direction so that the pillow is very low at its lower edge 2. The thickened sections '7 are thus the highest points of the pillow and have a sound-absorb ing effect, constituting a wall to the ears of a person resting on the pillow. The thickening 4 fits to the nape, and the side sections 7 form a support for the upper arm of a person resting on the back.

The dimensions of the pillow have to be adapted to the size of the various individuals, and although standard models may be constructed, it will in certain cases be desirable to make the pillow to individual measurements, more particularly for persons of a build deviating much from normal.

What: 1 claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

LA piilow which will support the upper arms, the shoulders, the uppermost part of the back, the neck and the head of a person lying down, said pillow having a substantially flat under side, a smoothly curved, continuous top surface, a substantially straight posterior edge portion of substantial thickness, an anterior edge portion of substantially lesser thickness than said posterior edge portion, two lateral edge portions each having a maximum thickness at a distance from the posterior edge portion and tapering down to substantially less thickness at the anterior edge portion of the pillow, said anterior edge portion of the pillow being interrupted by a central semicircular recess, the pillow edge of the innermost portion of said semicircular recess extending abruptly upwardly and inclining backwardly in the direction of said posterior edge portion and continuing into a broad convex area of thickening of the central half of the portion of the pillow between said anterior edge portion and said posterior edge portion, the top surface extending from said posterior edge portion to said anterior edge portion of the pillow being continuously curved to define a shallow depressed portion in the center of the top surface between the two lateral edge portions, the lateral portions of the top surface of the pillow adjacent said recess and on each side of said center of the top surface tapering in the direction of said anterior edge portion from a maximum thickness corresponding to the thickness at substantially said center to a substantially lesser thickness at. the anterior edge portion.

2. A pillow which will support the upper arms, the shoulders, the uppermost part of the back, the neck and the head of a person lying down, said pillow having a substantially flat underside, a smoothly curved, continuous top surface, a substantially straight posterior edge portion of substantial thickness, an anterior edge portion of substantially lesser thickness than said posterior edge portion, two lateral edge portions each having a maximum thickness at a distance from the posterior edge portion and tapering down to substantially less thickness at the anterior edge portion of the pillow, said anterior edge portion of the pillow being interrupted by a central semicircular recess having a length along the anterior edge substantially equal to one-half the length of the anterior edge, the depth of said semicircular recess in the direction of said posterior edge portion being about half of its length, the pillow edge of the innermost portion of said semicircular recess extending abruptly upwardly and inclining backwardly in the direction of said posterior edge portion and continuing into a broad convex area of thickening of the central half of the portion of the pillow between said anterior edge portion and said posterior edge portion, said area of thickening having a thickness less than the length of said recess, the top surface extending from said posterior edge portion to said anterior edge portion of the pillow being continuously curved to define a shallow depressed portion in the center of the top surface between the two lateral edge portions, the lateral portions of the top surface of the pillow adjacent said recess and on each side of said 4 center of the top surface tapering in the direction of said anterior edge portion from a maximum thickness corresponding to the thickness at substantially said center to a substantially lesser thickness at the anterior edge portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,167,622 Bentivoglio Aug. 1, 1939 2,522,123 Kaskey ct al. Sept. 12, 1950 2,700,779 Tollcowsky Feb. 1, 1955 2,769,185 Biederrnan Nov. 6, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 414,131 Great Britain Aug. 2, 1934 1,GZ3,666 France Mar. 23, 1953 

